When you walk into Greg Foote's studio, it's hard to say what is most attention-grabbing. There is an array of finished jewelry and watches to peruse, but you may find yourself gazing into the room where jewelers can be seen at work, visors donned and machines whirring.

Greg Foote Jewelers in Oakdale is a full-service neighborhood store that also does on-site repairs. Greg and his team – graduate gemologist Jean Hoerth and customer service representatives Tina Reeves and Shelley Roeske – can accommodate most any need.

"We do the work here. We're huge into repair, fabrication and custom design," Greg says.

Tina says she enjoys the challenge of fielding unusual requests. The inventory of finished jewelry on display is not the limit of what a guest can buy. "If there is anything you need, we can probably find it for you," she says.

But it's not just flexibility and friendliness that have made Greg's studio an Oakdale favorite. The store offers the expert knowledge possessed by Jean, the graduate gemologist who studied at the Gemological Institute of America. The institute is considered the standard-bearer of gemology.

"I do appraisals, I can identify stones," she says. "You should have your appraisals done by a graduate gemologist, someone who has the training to tell you what your item is and what it's worth. We use up-to-date software to stay on top of industry standards."

Jean is the rare combination of goldsmith and graduate gemologist – "Typically, there aren't too many of us who are graduate gemologists, as well," she says.

The jewelers can handle repairs that would be risky without the latest technology. Greg has a laser welder in his studio, which gives his team the ability to perform highly sensitive repairs.

"With the laser welder, we can do things that you can't do conventionally. It's one of the latest technologies in the jewelry industry – it allows us to do so much more. It allows us to repair more safely," Greg says.

One of the highlights of Greg's inventory is his collection of Seiko watches. He recently added a dozen models to his Seiko selection.

"Seiko is a high quality watch," he says. "We are carrying the higher-end Presage Seiko watches – they re a very high quality watch. It's a mechanical, self-winding watch."

It may be a good time to adopt a Seiko watch of your own. Greg suspects that demand for watches is picking up this year.

"Watches are making a comeback – it's a convenience thing. For guys, it's a piece of jewelry as well as a timepiece," Greg says.

Anyone looking for understated sterling silver, the wedding band of their dreams or virtually anything else will find their lifelong, personal jewelers at Greg Foote Jewelers.

"Greg's whole philosophy is personal service," Tina says. "Because we are smaller and most of our customers are by referral, we get to know people on a more one-to-one basis."